“I feel like I’m 25 again” - Dana White’s $120,000 Health Protocol
What this covers
My thoughts on Dana White’s ‘Superhuman Protocol’
Dana’s video: https://youtu.be/Ufl10eCvZWQ
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Brian Johnson critiques Dana White's 'Superhuman Protocol' as lacking scientific rigor and measurement, arguing that true health optimization requires defining specific biomarkers and testing against them rather than adopting expensive interventions without evidence of efficacy.
- Dana's protocol (PEMF, cold plunge, oxygen therapy, red light) has not met Blueprint's evidence standards for longevity despite Dana's subjective improvements
- Without measuring specific biomarkers, one cannot know if interventions actually work or are merely placebo
- Free foundational practices (sleep, diet, exercise, sunlight, breathwork) are more powerful than expensive biohacking tools
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The challenge with watching Dana's protocol is that none of the therapies presented have specified what biomarkers are being isolated or what effects are being measured, meaning one could spend a lifetime doing things without knowing if they actually work.
“same thing as before this is the challenge of course when you're watching this is there's this idea that you know Dana White is a successful person he is in a position of power uh with the UFC and so there's this idea that if he's doing this and someone else is saying that he's doing it and it's a good idea but in none of the therapies so far have they offered up what biomarkers they're isolating and what they're trying to see for effect and so again this is the thing is you can spend a lifetime doing things without knowing if they actually work”
One can spend an infinite amount of time doing worthless things, so it is critical to know what you're trying to achieve and then ensure you're actually achieving it.
“you can spend so much time doing an infinite number of things that are worthless so know what you're trying to achieve and then make sure you're achieving that”
Before spending substantial resources on health interventions, one should know what you're trying to achieve and ensure you can measure it, rather than spending money on equipment before understanding desired outcomes.
“know what you're trying to achieve and make sure you can achieve it so if you want to learn more about my do di protocol I've made the entire thing for free it's uh available online the recipes the protocols my data my experience what I've learned what I the mistakes we've made and what you can do”
Johnson states he does not know the science behind PEMF and cannot determine its efficacy, noting that experts reading the same literature can reach entirely different conclusions about technological interventions.
“pmf I don't know the science behind it and they just strung together a bunch of words about what it is what it does what endpoints is supposed to have I've learned in my years at blueprint is it's very hard to determine the efficacy of a given strategy”
It would be valuable to know Dana's biomarker improvements (e.g., triglyceride reduction) at the end of the protocol to verify whether the claimed subjective improvements (feeling 25 years old) correspond with objective physiological changes
“he started off with his biomarkers being really bad I didn't know that Tri rid could be that high I've never heard of that before so it would have been cool to see at the end of the video where his biomarkers were at after you know he made the statement that he feels like he's 25 years old it'd be cool if we saw some biomarkers that were heading in that direction”
The takeaways from the protocol (walking on grass, breathwork, sunlight exposure) are valid but not power laws; true power laws are sleep and diet and exercise, which are harder to maintain but where the transformative impact actually exists.
“the take-homes of this were were walk on grass do breath work and look at the sun those may be fine but they're really not the power laws that drive our day-to-day Consciousness it's sleep and diet and exercise these are the hard things and if we want to make meaningful change in how we feel and how we look and what we're trying to do in life I me Dana talks about him feeling great and wanting to be you know a top performer in life I would go after the power laws that's really where the money's at”
Sleep is the most important factor for longevity and well-being; it is the foundation that allows other health practices to be effective, and without good sleep, practices like cold plunge and red light therapy cannot compensate for poor diet and bad sleep.
“I don't think that would be my number one longevity thing I would probably say sleep sleep is the PowerHouse of our conscious existence and when you're well rested you know life becomes manageable when you're not it feels really challenging and so if you want to do positive things in your life like eat well and exercise and be a good friend and a you know good uh person at work then sleep is kind of the thing that's going to power you through the other things like if you're relying upon cold plunge and red light therapy to compensate for a poor diet and bad sleep it's just not going to do it it it's not powerful enough so get the basics right sleep leads to exercise which leads to diet”
Exposure of skin to sunlight, especially in the morning, helps regulate cortisol and melatonin, regulates circadian rhythm, and supports sleep more effectively than red light therapy beds.
“the final thing is if you don't have the money to spring for a red light therapy bed expose your skin to sunlight especially first thing in the morning it helps to regulate cortisol helps to regulate melatonin it will do more for your circadian rhythm and to help you sleep that night than you could possibly imagine simply by exposing yourself to sunlight in the morning”
Small, incremental changes (baby steps) produce cascading effects through power law dynamics that can be more effective than attempting major transformation
“if you feel in a slump and you need to get going then just start one one baby step it get you the domino effect of the power law just start going”
Johnson critiques the 'no excuse' David Goggins-style motivational approach as problematic because people in genuinely difficult circumstances may need compassionate support rather than tough love, and such platitudes can be counterproductive for those experiencing depression or severe difficulty.
“can we be real for a minute like this is not a situation where you just put out a platitude like anyone people are are in shitty situations they sometimes need serious help sometimes it can feel awful when others put the expectation on you that it is your fault I know when I was chronically depressed I felt paralyzed to do anything and wasn't if someone pulled up and gave me a fancy quote or patted me on the back of like get your together Brian I was paralyzed like I just wanted to lay down and die”
Touching Earth, breathwork, and sunlight exposure are the three free interventions Johnson recommends as foundational to health transformation.
“those are three things you can do to change the trajectory of your life that will not cost you a dime touch the surface of the Earth do breath work expose your skin to sunlight and that is just science”
Eight minutes of proper breathwork provides equivalent benefits to Exercise with Oxygen Therapy (EWOT) without requiring a $120,000 machine
“the second thing you can do if you don't want to buy an ewat machine or exra exercise with oxygen therapy is learning how to do 8 minutes of breath work you can get all of the benefits of exercise with oxygen therapy without spending a dime”
Olive oil and extraversion are identified as health interventions with very strong, solid evidence supporting their inclusion in health protocols
“like extraversion olive oil good evidence very solid Choice”
Dana White had triglycerides at 764, which Johnson notes is extremely high and something he had not previously encountered at that level, indicating a serious health situation.
“he said give me what tricer or 764 I didn't know they could be that I didn't know the range went that high that that honestly explains a lot”
Cold plunge at 50°F for 3 minutes is very mentally challenging, even for experienced practitioners, and can indirectly benefit insulin levels, activate heat shock proteins, trigger thermogenesis in brown fat, and increase mood via endorphin and dopamine release.
“I go in at 50° for 3 minutes so when you start coal plunging it's very hard at first it's very mentally challenging for those of you who haven't cold plunge it is very challenging my drug of choice I don't think anything makes you feel better for longer it can actually benefit you by indirectly affecting insulin levels by activating getting P shock proteins by turning on thermogenesis for brown fat and exchanging calories for heat as well as increasing your mood by releasing endorphins and dopamine”
Photobiomodulation uses infrared and near-infrared light wavelengths to reduce inflammation, improve eyesight, improve collagen and elastin in skin, and empower mitochondrial metabolism.
“photobiomodulation uses infrared light and near infrared light different wavelengths of light well known for producing inflammation improving eyesight improving collagen elastin vibrant in the skin it's very good for empowering the mitochondria the PowerHouse of the cell to actually improve its metabolism”
The optimal red light therapy dosing appears to be 10 minutes daily or 20 minutes two to three times per week.
“10 minutes a day if you use it every day or 20 minutes two to three times a week seems to be the sweet spot”
Red light therapy claims include anti-aging and longevity effects, but Johnson criticizes the stringing together of these magical words as creating false impression of a panacea, when red light therapy has specific benefits but is not a solution for everything.
“it's a great way to recover it's the rage and athletic performance and anti-aging and Longevity where he was going was good like it is it helps on mood it helps on elastin it helps on uh energy but anti-aging and Longevity like those two words were just dropped in in like magical words it's kind of like it's the soup of everything and redite therapy has a specific set of benefits but it's not this thing is going to solve all things I think it's a good health practice not a power law but again just be careful when you hear these words strung together you might be led to believe this is a Panacea it's not the case”
Dana White's quote 'if I can see it and believe it then I can achieve it' contains two conditional statements requiring both seeing and believing, making it problematic as a motivational statement because limiting one's aspirations to what is visible constrains potential.
“if I can see it and believe it then I can achieve it but like again there's two conditional statements like one you have to see it and then two you have have to believe it so what would my quotee on the wall be”
In terms of scientific rigor, the Superhuman Protocol rates approximately 3-4 out of 10 because none of the interventions have established biomarkers or literature support for longevity goals.
“on the science if I compare it to what we as a blueprint team have done it's not made our list so I don't think that I would be recommending anyone do this the cold plunge is not part of our practice because it doesn't match our longevity goals it doesn't mean there's not benefits in other things so if you do have a cold plunge practice great but on the science is like you know a three or four out of 10”
Blueprint conducted a comprehensive review of all scientific literature on health interventions and identified power laws (high-impact interventions) for lifespan and healthspan extension using rigorous scientific analysis of data and effect sizes.
“what we did at blueprint is we combed through all the scientific literature and we tried to find the best evidence for health span lifespan increase and then we applied those power laws but we were extremely rigorous about the scientific analysis looking at the the uh the data and then looking at effect size”
Johnson is skeptical of the Superhuman Protocol as a marketing frame, believing it falls short on the promise of being truly superhuman and lacks novel secrets.
“I'm pretty skeptical of the Superhuman protocol I get that it's a marketing frame”
New Year's resolutions typically fade by April as seasons change, suggesting short-term motivation without sustained behavior change; implementing a consistent program before summer can result in the best summer of one's life.
“everyone around New Year's big Ambitions for life but then by the time April arrives it's a different game and here comes summer so put together your program be consistent get after it I guarantee you you start doing this you're going to have the best summary of your life”
The Superhuman Protocol video fell short of being truly superhuman and contained no novel secrets beyond standard health practices, though it serves the purpose of encouraging healthy habits adoption.
“I'd say overall good job Dana White for being public about his his expedition to health I think it fell short for a superhuman protocol I don't think there were any secrets in there that are novel”
The evidence for Dana's protocol interventions may still be emergent, and Blueprint might incorporate them in the future if stronger evidence develops, or they might be additive to other interventions
“maybe the evidence is emergent maybe we don't know about some of the evidence maybe it's something that is addtive to something else I don't know I I don't want to be too conclusive”
Blueprint has not incorporated cold plunge into their longevity protocol because the evidence does not meet their criteria for longevity objectives, even though Dana appears to be using it for mental well-being.
“same thing with with uh cold plunge is we have not Incorporated cold plunge into blr because the evidence doesn't meet the criteria for our specific objectives of longevity it seems like Dana is doing this for his mental well-being of it makes him feel awake”
Blueprint's alternative 'Don't Die Protocol' has a different objective than superhuman transformation: to slow aging speed and reverse aging damage in a systematic way using measured biomarkers and evidence-based scientific interventions.
“if you want to check out my protocol I've called it the don't die protocol so it is a different objective if we get to a point where we can make superum goals I'm down for that right now I think what's within our power is to slow our speed of aging and try to reverse the aging damage that has happened and do so in a systematic way with biomarkers measured scientific interventions uh implemented and then measurement again to see if it has the effect”
The narrator expresses empathy and companionship with people struggling, hoping to be a positive voice and encourage small steps without judgment
“for those of you who are struggling I feel you I'm with you I hope that I'm a positive voice in your mind that I'm empathetic to your situation and if I can encourage you to make the smallest of baby steps to improve your life I'm there with you it's very hard to be human and we can do this together”
Money is not the barrier to health transformation; people can access a gym and work with protocols like Gary's even without all of Dana's equipment, making lack of money an insufficient excuse for not pursuing health.
“when you look at me and you say oh yeah well you got money you can do this and that and everything it's not about money or not having money it's about money really helps you guys can join a gym and Gary can walk you through protocols that you can do if you don't have all the equipment that I have”
Blueprint's Don't Die Protocol is available free online, including recipes, protocols, Johnson's personal data, lessons learned, and mistakes made, to help others avoid having to pay for expensive interventions.
“if you want to learn more about my do di protocol I've made the entire thing for free it's uh available online the recipes the protocols my data my experience what I've learned what I the mistakes we've made and what you can do”
The analyst rates Dana White's personal charisma and enthusiasm as 10 out of 10, with meaningful social influence value even though the protocol itself is scientifically weak.
“I give Dana let's say a 10 out of 10 for his Charisma he's bringing a lot of enthusiasm”
March represents a reset opportunity ("Spring's coming") for people who have already abandoned their New Year's resolutions, providing a psychologically convenient moment to restart health goals
“I'm sure everybody came out of the holidays Gang Busters and and New Year's resolutions and if you've fallen off already March means that Spring's coming yeah that's it's true everyone around New Year's big Ambitions for life but then by the time April arrives it's a different game and here comes summer”
Since Dana started taking his health seriously almost two years ago, his life has completely changed: he is more active, has more energy, is more productive at work and in life overall, and claims to feel like he is 25 years old again.
“since I started taking my health seriously almost two years ago my life has completely changed I'm more active I have more energy I'm more productive at work I'm more productive in life period I I I swear to God I feel like I am 25 years old again”
Dana White deserves credit (10/10 for charisma) for publicly sharing his health transformation and taking control of his health rather than remaining in a bad situation, making him a positive example others will want to mimic.
“good job Dana White he took control of his health he was in a bad situation and he's making positive steps he looks a lot better I give Dana let's say a 10 out of 10 for his Charisma he's bringing a lot of enthusiasm”
Dana White has been talking to doctors for 10 years about multiple health problems but none of them could fix his issues, including sleep apnea and leg problems that he didn't even realize he had.
“there were a lot of different problems with me that were going on that I've been talking to doctors for for 10 years none of them could fix any of my problems I had sleep apnea I had problems with my legs I had problems I didn't realizes I had that doctors didn't even tell me”
Gary Greer told Dana White he would change his life in 12 weeks, but Dana began feeling better (more energy, better sleep) in just a few weeks into the protocol.
“give me 12 weeks and I'll change your whole life it didn't take 12 weeks a few weeks into it I started to feel better started have more energy started sleeping better”
PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field) mimics the magnetism and low-frequency current that we naturally receive from the Earth's surface.
“pmf stands for pulse electromagnetic field a pulse electromagnetic field is really mimicking what we get from other nature and that's the magnetism the low gous current that we get from the surface of the Earth”
EWAT (exercise with oxygen therapy) is based on the principle of multistep oxygen therapy and involves delivering 900 liters of oxygen through the body in approximately 10-12 minutes, which is claimed to benefit cells.
“once I'm done cold puning then I do the oxygen therapy so this is called ewat exercise with oxygen therapy it's based on a well research principle called multistep oxygen therapy and at about 10 and 1 12 11 minutes you've completed putting 900 L of this oxygen through the body and that is doing your cells good”
The analyst appreciates Dana White's precision in claiming he achieved 'the best shape I could possibly get into' rather than using the common hyperbolic claim 'I'm in the best shape of my life,' noting that precise language reflects genuine achievement.
“I appreciate Dana's humility here he said getting into the best shape I could possibly get into a lot of people would feel that sentence with a platitude of I'm in the best shape of my life and precision is important so I appreciate Dana being accurate here”
The narrator, Brian, is 46 years old and aspires to achieve legitimately superhuman health goals, but recognizes that this requires realistic objective-setting and measurement rather than marketing promises
“I think it'd be cool if we could get into an age where we humans could legitimately Express superhuman goals and for them to be real for someone like Dana myself I'm 46 and so like you know not a spring chicken in terms of like I'm not 20 at Peak athletic performance so it'd be cool if we could legit all Express that”
The motivational quote on Dana's gym wall is grammatically and structurally problematic and should be shortened into a more impactful, emotionally resonant statement
“I don't know if if that quote it's one it's way too long to put on the wall like who's going to stop and read that whole thing and and the structure of the sentences it's is the grammar even correct”
Gary Brecken is described as a 'human biologist' who helped Dana by conducting blood work and developing a personalized health protocol
“a friend of mine Carrie kasm came to me and said you have to meet this guy Gary Greer he's incredible he's a human biologist will'll change your life”
Dana White has spent the last almost 18 months (since the video was made approximately 2 years from June) getting into the best shape he could possibly get into, and is now looking to take his fitness to a whole new level in 2024.
“I spent the last almost a year and a half getting in the best shape that I could possibly get in and now so I appreciate Dana's humility here he said getting into the best shape I could possibly get into a lot of people would feel that sentence with a platitude of I'm in the best shape of my life and precision is important so I appreciate Dana being accurate here I'm looking to take it to a whole another level in 24”
If Johnson could only have one biohacking device, it would be a red light therapy bed because of its therapeutic value.
“if I only have one bio hacking device in my light it will be a red light therapy bet”
Dana White's gym setup with 40-50 pieces of equipment for one person is excessive, with the narrator expressing jealousy about the space and equipment disparity
“is this all for him if he is I'm so jealous my gym has five pieces of equipment he's got 40 or 50 here”